Family Punishment
by BlackFox12
Summary: Sophia had Isabel shoot herself in the thigh, but how does she deal with Thomas' betrayal and attempt to kill her? AU-ish. Contains spanking. Don't like? Don't read


**Family Punishment**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the television series The Event and I'm not making any money from this fic

**Summary:** Sophia had Isabel shoot herself in the thigh, but how does she deal with Thomas' betrayal and attempt to kill her? AU-ish

**Warning(s):** Spanking; spoilers for the series of The Event; some violence

**Author's Note:** The Event seems to be my new favourite fandom, so I imagine there'll be quite a few fics for this series. If anyone doesn't know the series, Wikipedia is a good place for character and episode information

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The drive back to Sophia's temporary apartment was silent. Sophia didn't know exactly what was going through her son's mind, but what was going through her mind were memories of their home... and their lives there. Back then, she'd never had to worry about her son betraying her. Or trying to kill her.

It didn't matter that Thomas had been manipulated into it. Sophia had trusted her son to be responsible for their people, but instead, he'd endangered the lives of many innocent people and tried to kill her. It wasn't something Sophia was able or willing to allow to pass without response.

When they reached the apartment, Sophia got out of the car. She might have been held in captivity for sixty-six years, but she'd made a point of familiarising herself with the steadily growing technology even before release had been a possibility. Besides, compared to the technology they had on their home planet, the technology here on Earth was almost laughably simplistic.

Sophia hadn't worried about being overwhelmed by the differences in technology and she wasn't worried now. Walking unhurriedly towards her apartment, she was aware of Thomas following behind her, though he didn't say anything. Neither did Sophia - not until she entered the apartment and closed the door behind her and her son.

"I was trying to do the best thing for our people," Thomas said as soon as the door was closed.

"Don't try to give me that excuse, Thomas," Sophia said, her voice calm and level. "Perhaps your intentions to begin with were noble, but you infected those people on the plane for no reason other than the fact that you could. Don't try to deny it."

"You left me in charge." Thomas' tone was defensive. "You knew that I would do whatever it took to fulfil our mission."

"Not like this. Haven't you learned anything? If we abandon our principles, then what is there left?"

"Those are your principles. Not mine."

Sophia took a step back, as shocked as she would have been if Thomas had just slapped her. They were different, that was true, but she'd always believed that Thomas shared her views. That while he believed in their cause, he knew better than to harm other civilisations. "Those aren't just my principles, Thomas. All our people share them."

"You can't speak for everyone. Not anymore."

Sophia nodded slowly. She could see that she should have acted long before now. She knew that those members of their people held in captivity had shared her view, as did Simon, but the rest had had years to gradually lose hope and believe that Sophia had abandoned them. Perhaps she'd made a mistake in not indicating what her plans had been.

She was going to have to rectify that. And figure out another solution that would ultimately end peacefully for all concerned.

"Perhaps you're right," Sophia said. "But you are my son. I raised you and took care of you. And I know that this isn't you. Your desperation is turning you into someone you aren't." She paused briefly. "We don't know that none of the other ships have succeeded in finding suitable areas elsewhere. You should have attempted to make contact before deciding to endanger the lives of innocent people. You infected _children_, Thomas. Children haven't done anything wrong."

"I saw an opportunity and I took it." Thomas' face didn't change. If he felt guilty, he wasn't showing it.

"And what did it give you, Thomas? Nothing has changed. Out of all our people, you only succeeded in bringing me out of the prison. And then you tried to kill me." If Sophia hadn't been watching her son closely, she would have missed the slight flinch he gave at her words. She pressed her advantage as she stepped closer to Thomas. "You know I won't let your actions pass without punishment."

"Do you want me to maim myself, the same way you forced Isabel?"

"No. You are my son. I will deal with you in a different way." Knowing that Thomas wouldn't fight her - his pride worked as well as any kind of restraints - Sophia moved closer to her son, reaching out to grasp hold of his wrist.

Thomas met Sophia's gaze for several moments before finally dropping his head. He made no attempt to argue, even though Sophia knew that he knew what was coming. Ever since he'd been old enough to make his own decisions between right and wrong, Sophia had used the same sort of punishment on him. It was one she knew that, according to history, people on Earth had used in schools up until not even that long ago.

Corporal punishment was used frequently even on adults if they behaved in such a way that deserved it. Sophia could have chosen a different punishment, but she believed that Thomas needed the emotional release and the familiarity of family that came from this kind of punishment.

A glance around the room revealed a couch against the far wall. Sophia gently pulled Thomas along behind her as she walked over to it. She took a seat in the middle of the couch and tugged her son round to the side of her.

"You know, most humans would be too old for this sort of punishment," Thomas said, though he made no attempt to pull away from Sophia.

"We are not humans, Thomas." Sophia used her grip on Thomas' hand to tug her son forward. When his legs hit the side of hers, he took a step back and then leaned forward over her lap, bracing his hands on the couch cushion.

Sophia lay one arm over Thomas' lower back, wrapping it around his waist, though more for the comfort and support than true restraint. She rested her other hand on her son's backside, rubbing a moment before raising that hand and bringing it down sharply.

Thomas jerked, but didn't make any sound.

Quickly remembering that Thomas was older and therefore likely to need a stronger type of correction to have any effect, Sophia's next swat was considerably harder and she was rewarded with an almost soundless gasp. The next few swats landed in exactly the same place and after the fifth one, Thomas began shifting slightly. Still, Sophia didn't move onto the other side until she'd landed ten swats altogether, all in the same place.

Swatting in one place like that was a trick Sophia had used when Thomas was in his late teenaged years - at least in regards to how their kind aged - when her son would often try to hold in his reactions to the spanking. A few more swats in a new place had Thomas shifting even more on her lap, reminding Sophia of a saying she'd heard in the past - 'ants in their pants'.

As Sophia continued the pattern all the way down to Thomas' thighs, she imagined they were years ago, back on their home planet. In many ways, she wished they were back there. At least back home, she hadn't had to worry about her son trying to kill her. "I raised you better than this, Thomas." She allowed her disappointment to come through in her voice. "You tried to kill innocent people... and you were prepared to kill me. Those are not the actions of the son I care for and love." She didn't pause in the swats and started over from the top once more after she'd finished on his thighs.

Thomas' breath hitched and he sounded close to tears as he burst out, "You should have come with me!"

"You know I had to stay..."

"We were supposed to be a team." Thomas' voice sounded muffled as he pressed his head into his arms. "I know we couldn't have foreseen the crash coming, but you should have come with me. Or I should have stayed and you should have gone with them..."

"You're my son," Sophia said quietly. "I wanted you safe and outside of the prison. I chose to stay there because I thought I could get through to one of the leaders of this country and get their aid."

Thomas was quiet for a few moments before he spoke in a very soft voice. "I ruined that, didn't I?"

Sophia paused, resting her hand on Thomas' back and rubbing gently. He relaxed under her touch, making no move to try and get up. "We'll deal with it," she promised. "But together, all right? We need to stop fighting each other and work on how to save our home by pooling our resources."

Thomas didn't move for several moments, but Sophia finally saw him nod slightly. Letting out a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding, she moved her arm from around his waist.

After pushing himself up slowly, Thomas looked at his mother. Then, settling next to her, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice slightly muffled.

Sophia rubbed his back gently, relieved to finally have her son in her arms and knowing that they could work together. "We don't need to speak of this any longer, Thomas. It's over and done with."

Thomas nodded, but his arms around Sophia were tight enough to almost hurt... as if he was still a child and was clinging to his mother, looking to her for protection and love.

**The End**


End file.
